{"id":2343529,"date":"2024-09-19T16:31:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T20:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tren-de-aragua-gang-worse-than-ms-13-congressman-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-19T16:32:08","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T20:32:08","slug":"tren-de-aragua-gang-worse-than-ms-13-congressman-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tren-de-aragua-gang-worse-than-ms-13-congressman-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Tren de Aragua gang &#8216;worse&#8217; than MS-13: Congressman &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftren-de-aragua-gang-worse-than-ms-13-congressman-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2343529&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent discussion among members of the House\u200c Homeland \u2064Security Committee highlighted concerns regarding the Venezuelan gang \u2063Tren de Aragua, which has been \u200cdescribed as\u2062 a more significant threat to U.S.\u2063 security\u200c than the notorious MS-13. \u2063Congressman Tony Gonzales from \u2063Texas emphasized the gang&#8217;s violent activities, including the \u200btakeover of apartment complexes in states like Colorado and Texas, and called for \u2063focused law enforcement efforts against\u200d criminal immigrants associated with Tren de Aragua. He remarked\u2064 that \u2063Tren de Aragua&#8217;s brutality made MS-13 appear mild in comparison. As the \u2064gang&#8217;s presence grows in various cities across the U.S., Texas Governor Greg Abbott has commenced statewide operations to combat the gang,\u2064 even categorizing it\u200b as a foreign terrorist organization. The efforts include enhanced law enforcement initiatives targeting Tren de Aragua&#8217;s\u200d activities. A significant \u200bchallenge in fighting this\u200c gang is identifying its\u2063 members, as they lack\u2064 distinctive tattoos and information sharing with\u200d international law \u200benforcement is limited. The committee session underscored the urgency to address\u200b the \u200dillegal immigration crisis and its correlation\u2064 with gang violence in the country.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">MS-13 are &lsquo;Boy Scouts&rsquo; compared to Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua: Congressman<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1764554\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Tren de Aragua, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/venezuela\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Venezuelan<\/a> gang whose members have been linked to instances of entire apartment complexes being taken over in Colorado and Texas, poses a much graver threat to people in the United States than even the Salvadoran gang <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ms-13\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>MS-13<\/a>, according to a congressman tracking Tren de Aragua&rsquo;s movements.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Democrats and Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee sparred Thursday over whether the illegal immigration crisis that has rocked the southern border since 2021 poses a serious threat to U.S. security. However, one lawmaker said Tren De Aragua was also &ldquo;terrorizing&rdquo; people inside the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tony-gonzales\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Tony Gonzales<\/a> (R-TX), whose district runs along 40% of the southern border, said members of Tren de Aragua and criminal illegal immigrants should be the focus of lawmakers and law enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When I spoke with the director of ICE, he told me there are over 10,000 known criminal aliens loose in the United States right now. That&rsquo;s in my eyes where we need to start, and then we go from there,&rdquo; Gonzales said during Thursday&rsquo;s hearing. &ldquo;Go after the Venezuelan gangs that are terrorizing us. They may not be on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-lawmaker-terror-suspects-are-starting-to-exploit-the-southern-border\/\" title=\"GOP Lawmaker: Terror Suspects Are \u2018Starting To Exploit The Southern Border\u2019\">terrorist watch list<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) holds a news conference on border security after the deaths of Jose Lerma, 67, and Isabel Lerma, 65, near Batesville, Texas, who were killed in a high-speed chase involving migrant smugglers, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gonzales has been outspoken about Tren de Aragua over the past year as the gang&rsquo;s violence has crept into the public eye.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I would argue that TDA makes MS-13 look like Boy Scouts,&rdquo; said Gonzales, a reference to the Salvadoran gang that was a focus of the Trump administration. &ldquo;The reason I say that is because each criminal organization that comes always tries to one-up the one before. &hellip; I see them growing in tentacles in places well beyond the border &mdash;&nbsp;larger cities, not only in Texas but throughout the country, and this is the danger. We&rsquo;re barely now just talking about TDA as if, as if they&rsquo;re similar to MS-13. They&rsquo;re worse. And they&rsquo;re going to get a whole lot worse.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>This summer, Tren de Aragua was exposed after violently taking over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, which forced the owner to sell the property.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As of now, the Aurora-Multi-Family Properties are in the complete control of the Gangs,&rdquo; stated a local police report dated June 29 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/us-border-crisis\/article-13852629\/Documents-Aurora-Colorado-Tren-Aragua-gang-complete-control-apartments.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>obtained <\/a>by <em>DailyMail.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>During a press conference earlier this week, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) said more than 100 Tren de Aragua gang members were arrested at the Gateway Hotel in downtown El Paso on various charges, including drug trafficking and human smuggling. Part of El Paso falls under Gonzales&rsquo;s Congressional District.<\/p>\n<p>The El Paso County attorney has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2024\/09\/16\/texas-venezuelan-gang-el-paso-tren-de-aragua-abbott\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>maintained<\/a> that the hotel was shut down last week because of extensive criminal activity, not a specific gang&rsquo;s presence.<\/p>\n<p>Abbott announced Monday that the state had classified Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization. The declaration ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to form a new strike team composed of SWAT teams, highway patrol officers, Texas Rangers, and helicopter flight teams that could target areas known for a Tren de Aragua presence.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Yesterday, I announced Texas is launching a statewide operation to go after the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TxDPS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@TxDPS<\/a> will coordinate with federal and local partners through Texas Anti-Gang Centers to stop these dangerous criminals.<\/p>\n<p>Our #1 priority is keeping Texans safe. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LHH9lQaLt0\">pic.twitter.com\/LHH9lQaLt0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GregAbbott_TX\/status\/1836061933700571194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 17, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Texas will use the courts to halt their operations, use civil asset forfeiture to take their property, use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-rep-cheney-supreme-dereliction-of-duty-when-trump-provoked-attack-on-the-capitol\/\" title=\"GOP Rep. Cheney: &#039;Supreme Dereliction of Duty&#039; When Trump &#039;Provoked&#039; Attack on the Capitol\">enhanced criminal penalties<\/a> to keep them in jail, behind bars for longer periods of time,&rdquo; Abbott said at a press conference.<\/p>\n<p>One of the greatest challenges in going after Tren de Aragua, Gonzales said, was identifying its members. Unlike MS-13, Tren de Aragua members often do not have the same tattoos on their bodies and the Venezuelan government does not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/houston-da-blames-nungaray-murder-on-broken-immigration-system-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Houston DA blames Nungaray murder on &#039;broken&#039; immigration system - Washington Examiner\">share criminal database information<\/a> with the global Interpol, the international crime police organization that U.S. federal police can check migrants&rsquo; information against at the border.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;One of the ways we fix this is we come together, federal, state, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/president-trump-pledges-orderly-transition-of-power\/\" title=\"President Trump pledges orderly transition of power\">local law enforcement<\/a>, all pull their resources and go after these people,&rdquo; said Gonzales.<\/p>\n<p>Other members of the committee focused on known or suspected FBI terror watch list individuals apprehended at the southern border under President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) touted that 382 immigrants arrested for illegally entering the U.S. from Mexico since October 2021 were on the FBI terrorist watchlist compared to a few dozen during the entire Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) said immigrants who enter the country by way of the border do not pose the most serious threat to people in the U.S. in terms of terrorist activity.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The data shows that most terrorist activity is conducted by United States citizens and not immigrants,&rdquo; said Correa.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/secure.blockboardtech.com\/track\/t?e=clickThrough&amp;vr=1&amp;d=eJyNUsmKHDEM_ZU.JiBXWd49t2YmBEKWw.QHvKhrTGppylWp5O9jOk0gcxoJZOlJfjxkoxXGGumcBemkAIFcKRBOaQ9C.Hvg8CWk07fnlvx1iZ33_G7AHHbI_5VBy.ZEzCr0TDpyzLmI7IIUhRUXlBcDOZTx99RCl5Zu_wF5GibKJdxL5IhWv0bPtS6phI3y6Ssd9RqutNbT5y2D6qTubIdSgfGKK605YPdGLRy8UlLCW6f_99uGHpd5Dlv5BZcwVgJs.F4DOMVhoGUdSgBEeA4_Q5t7eXf6eH4PmluodwREUy5RcYSjXArEdQk5hjkDAHqVyEYdtdc8peSMQ2O9ThJdaznwPsQoyNigg0uGiIxQmZTOOVruIoDgQjHP0Dc20QjB3yCQEPdaZqoVaB7GUpsQpVrToAXb_gO2xTRtRkIjApTagTYKnNFAn46n880.MHjZtmt96PvjOLpXT9vP7an6vbK4rJlWltZSS.3DupU0EkPptDDC909L2ieat8rO.7qsgT0uYzvywr6vNLPzGoY9sCHMA0vLdB1po5bM27qMLFwb3e1y97JN4x_8qc27&amp;wb=1.0&amp;red=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.itsnotanoption.com%2F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1764554\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1764554\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to a congressman monitoring the activities of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang linked to the takeover of entire apartment complexes in Colorado and Texas, this group represents a far greater danger to U.S. citizens than the Salvadoran gang MS-13. During a recent House Homeland Security Committee meeting, lawmakers from both parties debated whether the ongoing illegal immigration crisis at the southern border since 2021 constitutes a significant threat to national security. However, one representative highlighted that Tren de Aragua is &#8220;terrorizing&#8221; individuals within the U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), whose district encompasses 40% of the southern border, emphasized that lawmakers and law enforcement should prioritize addressing members of Tren de Aragua and other criminal illegal immigrants. He noted that during discussions with ICE&#8217;s director, he learned there are over 10,000 known criminal aliens currently in the U.S., suggesting this should be where efforts begin.<\/p>\n<p>Gonzales has been vocal about Tren de Aragua as their violent actions have gained more attention recently. He stated, &#8220;I would argue that TDA makes MS-13 look like Boy Scouts,&#8221; referring to how each criminal organization tends to escalate its operations beyond its predecessors. He expressed concern about their expanding influence across larger cities not just in Texas but nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>This summer saw Tren de Aragua make headlines after they violently seized control of an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, forcing its owner to sell it off due to threats from gang members. A police report confirmed that local gangs had taken complete control over these properties.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) announced over 100 arrests related to Tren de Aragua at a hotel in downtown El Paso for various crimes including drug trafficking and human smuggling; part of El Paso falls under Gonzales\u2019s congressional jurisdiction. The county attorney clarified that extensive criminal activity led to shutting down this hotel rather than any specific gang presence.<\/p>\n<p>Abbott declared Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization and instructed state authorities to form specialized teams targeting areas known for their activity while also utilizing legal measures against them such as civil asset forfeiture and enhanced penalties for longer incarceration periods.<\/p>\n<p>Gonzales pointed out one major challenge in combating Tren de Aragua: identifying its members since they often lack distinctive tattoos unlike MS-13 members; additionally, Venezuela does not share criminal records with Interpol which complicates background checks at borders.<\/p>\n<p>While some committee members focused on individuals on FBI terror watch lists apprehended at the southern border under President Biden&#8217;s administration\u2014highlighting an increase compared with previous years\u2014Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) argued that most terrorist activities are committed by U.S.-born citizens rather than immigrants entering through borders<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2655,"featured_media":2343530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tony-gonzales-congress.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[39657,12411,39668,32076],"class_list":["post-2343529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-gang-violence","tag-ms-13","tag-tren-de-aragua","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tony-gonzales-congress.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2655"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2343529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2343530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2343529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2343529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2343529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}